Rose Gallery and Framing in Decatur will be hosting an event called “Legacy of Art” benefitting Uganda’s orphans on June 12th.

On Thursday, June 11th, “Boys Life”, a group show featuring work from Peter Bahouth, Steve Bliss, Shannon Clark, Corey Daniels, Emily Gomez, and Ryan Pfluger; and “Play War”, a new exhibition from Ruth Dusseault, will be opening at Hagedorn Foundation Gallery on Thursday night. Festivities from 6 to 9pm!

© Ruth Dusseault

It’s inspiring to know that there are young artists and arts organizers in Atlanta who are plugged-in (literally) and are looking for new ways to expand their communities and to reach out to the community at large. Gather Atlanta is an inaugural event where local non-profits, arts organizations, community organizers, and artists will be coming together for the evening to take stock, learn from each other, and network toward new opportunities.

There will be a panel discussion at 7pm, moderated by Cinque Hicks, including Stephanie Dowda, Louise Shaw, Rachael Spiewak, Matt Haffner, and Michael David Murphy from ACP.

Here’s a list of participating organizations, a few of whom have participated in ACP in the past: ASIFA Atlanta, Beep Beep Gallery, Young Blood Gallery, The Photographer’s Print Studio, MINT Gallery, WonderRoot, BurnAway, Art House Co Op, Atlanta Printmaker’s Studio, Epidemik Coalition/ We Are the Process, The Art Department Gallery, Fallen Arrows, Plaza Theatre, See Through Souls, ISP, Dorkbot, & Artlanta!

Richard Misrach’s exhibition, On the Beach opens this weekend at The High Museum, and there will be a lecture on Thursday at 7pm in the Hill Auditorium. The High’s site has plenty of info, including a Q&A with Misrach.

“Color photography pioneer Richard Misrach will discuss past and present projects including the inspiration behind his recent series of monumental photographs on view in the Richard Misrach: On The Beach exhibition.”

“Untitled #222-04″ © Richard Misrach

Jackson Fine Art has an exhibition from Steve Schapiro opening later this week. The show includes pictures taken behind the scenes of “The Godfather” and photographs from Schapiro’s “Heroes” series. Steve Schapiro had a photograph in the ACP 10 Auction, as well!

“Jackson Fine Art is pleased to present photojournalist Steve Schapiro’s iconic images from Francis Ford Coppala’s, The Godfather. Schapiro’s photographs provide an insider’s view of the making of the legendary trilogy. Imagine the experience of witnessing renowned actors as they created their most unforgettable performances.”

“Also on view is the Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I, the result of a very happy marriage between two of Sir Elton’s greatest passions, collecting photographic art and raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Portfolio includes some of the most outstanding international names: Nan Goldin, Katy Grannan, Damien Hirst, Sally Mann, Richard Misrach, Shirin Neshat, Thomas Struth, Sam Taylor-Wood, Juergen Teller and Ruud van Empel. A majority of these artists are also represented in Sir Elton’s own collection. “I am both thrilled by the extraordinary array of art that has been contributed to this collection and profoundly grateful to the generous and talented artists represented within for supporting EJAF’s vital work”, said Sir Elton.”

At the Bank of America Plaza on the corner of Peachtree and North, there’ll be a reception for Corinne Adams’ current exhibition “Flora Photographica” on Tues., June 9th, from 3:30-6pm.

(Ed. note: Corinne is a founder of Atlanta Celebrates Photography)

APG’s latest show “Emerging Visions” has opened and will be up through July 3rd. Juried by Chip Simone, photographers include:

Amelia Alpaugh – Portfolio Center
Amy Arrington – The Creative Circus
Patricia Chourio – Kennesaw State University
William Hogan – University of West Georgia
Maria Joyner – SCAD Atlanta
Artem Nazarov – Portfolio Center
Yen Ngoc Phan – SCAD Savannah
Margaret Strickland – University of Georgia
Kevin Tadge – UNC School of the Arts

Plus, don’t forget to submit to APG’s In Your Dreams (pdf link) by June 3rd.

SCAD BFA grad Yukari Umekawa is showing her digital pinhole photographs at Whitespace.

“Yukari Umekawa’s art emerges from her efforts to find peace in a state of longing and isolation. Born in Osaka, Yukari left her friends and family in Japan to pursue her BFA in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. She juxtaposes images of telephone wires and the sky to express a nostalgic homesickness. The telephone wires represent her perpetual desire for contact with home, while images of the sky serve as a comforting reminder that she and her distant home are under the same sky. The exhibition is aptly titled itodenwa, which is the Japanese word for a telephone created from two cans and a string. By deconstructing her digital camera, she created a pinhole camera to capture her images. Through the use of long exposures, her constructed pinhole camera returns dreamlike images that are softened and out of focus. Yukari states, “The photographs then become unclear like my memories.” The show marks her debut, and will be displayed at whitespec alongside Scott Silvey’s exhibition “Civic Remedies”. In contrast to Yukari, the American-born sculptor and painter now resides in Tokyo and is presenting his newest paintings from Japan. Together, the exhibitions will be a unique opportunity to explore the influences of Japanese and American culture on artists living outside their respective homelands.”

Foto Povera 5: Atlanta, curated by Yannick Vigouroux, will open on June 4th at Opal Gallery in Little 5 Points. Reception on the 4th from 6-9pm.

“This informal collective of French and Atlanta-based artists brings together talented photographers who take an alternative approach to their medium by using a variety of of non-traditional and “toy cameras” such as sténopé, Holga, Diana, and Brownie box. The images on display represent a unique translation of photography with cameras that are often referred to as “primitive” in the modern world of digital technology. By embracing the constraints of these non-traditional cameras, they aim to capture a precariousness and spontaneity that they believe to be much greater than the resulting image.”

Participating artists include: Bernard Plossu, Yannick Vigouroux, Driss Aroussi, Candido Baldacchino, Jean-André Bertozzi, Daniel Challe, Didier Cholodnicki, Bruno Debon, Christophe Mauberret, Jean-Luc Paillé, Caroll’ Planque, Yannick Vigouroux, Kathleen Kondilas, Darrin Melton, Otto Kitchens, Constance Lewis, Pierryl Peytavi, Xavier Martel, Catherine Merdy, Philippe Calandre, Benoît Gehane and Marion Delage de Luget.

© Bruno Debron

It’s the last week at Kiang Gallery of Meng Jin’s photographs of chandeliers inside Chinese gov’t buildings. The exhibition’s called “Every Room is Illuminated“, and there’s a closing reception next Friday, May 29th, 7pm.

Can’t wait to see what Kiang Gallery’s planning for the festival in October!

© Meng Jin / Kiang Gallery

Allen Cooley‘s graduate exhibition of portraits called “Normal” will be at Gallery Stokes in Castleberry this Friday, and will be up for a week.

Cooley, on his work:

“Our culture is constantly evolving and continually improving, but I am disheartened by the rare and brief glimpses of this evolution that are typically available to the mainstream consciousness. I’m tired of imagery that simply perpetuates the extremes of African Americans, either to sell a high-class, pretentious way of life, or to promote pity for poor, ignorant, subservient Negroes who’ve had it hard. I’m neither of those two. I’m intelligent, not ostentatious, and I’ve had it hard, but refuse to allow those hard times to define me. I understand that both the upper and lower echelons do exist, but people like me exist as well.”

Ryan Nabulsi, a recent SCAD graduate, explores the “dying” art of the Polaroid in his show opening this weekend at Mint Gallery.

An artist talk from Matt Haffner about his exhibition “Dreams of a Sleeping Giant” at MOCA GA, this Wednesday, May 20th, at 7pm. Reception at 6:30.

Dorothy O’Connor and Jenny Williamson have a show opening this Saturday a 7pm at Composition Gallery.

“Dorothy and Jenny share an affinity for producing dreamlike images. Dorothy’s photography is more intentionally dreamlike, whereas Jenny’s achieves a similar effect due principally to her use of Diana Cameras. They both, however, create their work from a deeply personal place; and the results are photographs which become personal experiences for viewers as well, leaving them the space to bring their own thoughts and emotions to the fore. Like dreams, these images can be interpreted in a variety of ways. To me, they call to mind a myriad of associations concerning dreams and reality, harmony and disharmony, memory, melancholy, and the passage of time. Another viewer, however, may come away with something completely different, which I think is the true value of artistic expression. An image should be an intimate and visceral experience for each viewer, independent of the artist’s intention or any imposed point of view. I would like to thank these two photographers for their time and effort, and for the opportunity to exhibit this bold and intuitive work.”

Capture Integration‘s hosting an event with Jeffrey Jacobs next week, Tuesday May 19, at 7pm.

Jeffrey will be sharing his images with open discussion of the creative and technical techniques used in his photography. He will also touch on the lessons he has learned switching from film to digital. Capture Integration events are always as informal as they informative, so expect a frank and open discussion. Whether you are a veteran in architecture or you’re looking to expand into new markets you are sure to learn something from Jeffrey and your fellow photographers.

Naomi Silva Gallery will be showing work from Ayano Hisa and Shannon L. Clark starting May 22nd, through June 13th. There’ll be a reception on the 22nd from 7-9pm.

© Shannon L. Clark

© Ayano Hisa

A lecture about Eudora Welty’s photography will be held this Thursday, May 14th, at 7pm at Opal Gallery w/ A Cappella Books.

Welty Scholar Looks at Author as Photographer
Georgia State’s Pearl McHaney at A Cappella Books/Opal Gallery

With A Cappella Books and Opal Gallery door-to-door in Little 5 Points, the dual creative forces of literature and photography could hardly be more entwined. Except perhaps in the personage of Eudora Welty.

Welty, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist, short story writer and essayist who was born 100 years ago in Mississippi, is generally considered among the South’s greatest writers, along with William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. She was also a celebrated photographer whose depression-era work compares with the likes of Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange and Margaret Bourke-White.

Dr. Pearl McHaney, a Welty scholar at Georgia State, whose two new books on the author/photographer were published earlier this year, will focus on Welty’s photography in a talk in Opal Gallery on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. Opal Gallery and A Cappella Books are located at 4884 Moreland Ave. NE.

“Atlanta-based artist and SCAD professor of photography Angela West commemorates the people and places significant to her small-town upbringing through the medium of photography. The exhibition “being there” represents a cross section of West’s practice; in each series, seemingly unremarkable and familiar scenes – a backyard in rural Georgia, an aging corsage, a self-conscious 16-year-old girl – are rife with unique beauty and memories. Ultimately, the photographs inspire increased appreciation of the ephemeral in the everyday. West is a recipient of a 2009 Artadia award. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.”

Reception for “being there” Exhibition by Angela West
Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., Gallery See, SCAD-Atlanta, 1600 Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA.

(Ed note: Angela West is a member of the board of ACP.)

Matt Haffner, whose solo exhibition is currently up at MOCA GA, has posted installation views of the show over on his site. Have a look, and go see the show!

A Dose of Rock ‘N’ Roll at Hagedorn Foundation Gallery, through June 10th. Reception and book signing, May 7th, 6-9pm.